A Cardano block is a collection of transactions that are grouped together and verified as a unit. It's similar to a page in a ledger. Each block contains a hash, which is a unique cryptographic code that identifies the block and its contents. Once a block is created, it's added to the blockchain, which is a public, distributed database. This process is known as block production. The creation of new blocks is carried out by staking pools, which are groups of individuals who contribute their ADA to secure the network. Blocks play a crucial role in the Cardano network by recording transactions, ensuring security, and providing a historical record.
Block 5597074 Details
Epoch: 260 Number of transactions in block: 20 slot_no: 26982073 epoch_slot_no: 25273 block_no: 5596897 slot_leader_id: 4591434 size: 8773 time: 2021-04-16 04:46:04 proto_major: 4 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x6617b0f94fa0e6575b34570eeee30ba7396cc04830b77ca71c366d91bffab8adBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk15l5xndch25p7uvtarv7dyagh4zgkvk5yzzndttv99sswhn7umfcqe2xv0h op_cert: \xbcbd1a4ab5b01472c7ea2cfb937866e4ecdef64b7a73baf169cec797613c5efc op_cert_counter: 3